Abstract
Aim: to describe physical activity and ultra-processed foods consumption, their changes and sociodemographic predictors among adolescents from countries in Europe (Italy and Spain) and Latin America (Brazil, Chile, and Colombia) during the SARS-CoV-2-pandemic period. Methods: Cross-sectional study via web survey. International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) and weekly ultra-processed food consumption data were used. To compare the frequencies of physical activity status with sociodemographic variables, a multinomial logistic and a multiple logistic regression for habitual ultra-processed foods was performed. In final models, p < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Sample of 726 adolescents, mostly females (59.6%) aged 16–19 years old (54.3%). Adolescents from Latin America presented odds ratio (OR) 2.98 (CI 95% 1.80–4.94) of being inactive and those whose mothers had higher level of education were less active during lockdown [OR 0.40 (CI 95% 0.20–0.84)]. The habitual ultra-processed consumption was also high during this period in all countries, and more prevalent in Latin America. Conclusion: A higher prevalence of inactivity was observed in this population, but reductions of physical activity and habitual ultra-processed consumption during the pandemic were more pronounced in Latin America. Our findings reinforce the importance of promoting a healthy lifestyle, i.e., exercise and diet, during periods of social isolation.
Highlights
SARS-CoV-2 caused disruption of daily activities, due to the need for social isolation to slow the progress of the disease
For ultra-processed food consumption, we considered the assessment of the weekly consumption of ultra-processed foods, so named according to the NOVA classification [13] based on the question: “In the
Despite the different determinants of physical inactivity in the population in both continents, we observed a fairly high percentage of physical inactivity in the population before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, which was worsened during the lockdown measures
Summary
SARS-CoV-2 caused disruption of daily activities, due to the need for social isolation to slow the progress of the disease. The World Health Organization (WHO) advises that a healthy lifestyle can help in the prevention and treatment of the disease [2]. Many countries have developed initiatives to avoid agglomerations, which have led to changes in lifestyle habits, especially those involving food consumption and physical exercise [3]. Adolescence is a crucial stage of human development, when several psychological and social changes occur, in addition to the acquisition of new life habits that are determinants of the health status in adulthood [4]. Among these habits, the practice of physical activity is one of the most important ones. Physical inactivity is common among adolescents and sedentary behaviors in this stage of life have been negatively associated with physical, mental, and social health adverse outcomes [5]
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